Page 49 of Strangers No More
I could feel my head become lightweight compared to how heavy my eyes were. He was going to kill me. A part of me wanted to just accept death with open arms, but I couldn’t. I worked too hard and held on to sometimes nothing but a mustard seed of faith and I wasn’t about to give up now. I lifted my hands off of his and plunged my thumbs into his sockets as hard as I could.
“Arrgh.”
His grip loosened as he attempted to pry my hands from his face. Before I knew it, a large blue vase was floating in the air before it came crashing down onto Dr. Johnston’s head. I turned onto my side and coughed, trying to get air into my lunges when a familiar voice called me.
“Addison, girl, I am going to kick your ass.”
I looked over my shoulder to see Akira leaning over me, rubbing my back.
I opened my mouth to speak when she quickly shook her head.
“Don’t talk. Let’s get you some water. Raheem, baby, can you grab me a water bottle.”
A small chuckle escaped my lips, causing me to instantly regret it. My throat was raw and on fire. I forgot that my best friend said she was dating one of Seojun’s cleaning crew members. Lifting up, I chugged the water as Akira sat next to me, rubbing my back. Looking over her shoulder, I saw a tall buff man with rich coffee skin and a fresh lineup showing off his black coils.
“So, that’s Raheem,” I asked. “And you were the person supposed to pick me up?”
“Yes that is Raheem, and no, it was only supposed to be him picking you up, but we were on date night. I was going to call and let you know I landed, but me and Heem promised to give each other the full day. Unfortunately, our lonely ass boss doesn’t care about that and sent us to pick up his special merchandise.” Akira smiled at as she waggled her eyebrows.
“Girl, shut up. Seojun didn’t say that.”
“Oh, Seojun? Y’all on first name bases, too?”
I playfully rolled my eyes.
“Ladies, we really must be going. I don’t know how long this guy is going to be knocked out and Seojun is waiting for us.”
I nodded as Akira helped me up. I rushed to the closet and grabbed my suitcase, glad I didn’t have time to unpack earlier. I snatched up my toothbrush and scooped all of my makeup back into the bag before heading out the door. Akira and I looked at each other as we hopped onto the elevator while Raheem took the stairs. We had a lot to talk about.
Chapter 28
Seojun
Addison paced back-and-forth in the front office I had in the warehouse. I had escorted her here so that we could talk privately while Jerome and Arnez sat tied up with their heads hanging down. I sent Raheem to retrieve Addison for me, only to find out that he took his girlfriend with him. Originally, I was pissed but found out that Akira was Addison’s best friend. She not only helped knock out Arnez, but she was actually helping her stay calm until she returned to me.
“What do we do now?” Addison asked, chewing on her thumb nail. “Since that picture was given to the person Mr. L was going to marry me off to, then I’m sure he’s going to send his people after us to kill us.”
“He’s not going to kill us, yeobo.”
“What do you mean he’s not going to kill us? Look Seojun, I know that you are very powerful and dangerous but so is he. This could be a full out war with a lot casualties.”
Walking over to where Addison was pacing, I grabbed her shoulders and made her face me. “Addison, breathe. In through your nose and out through your mouth.”
Addison did as she was instructed and I could see her shoulders finally relax.
“Is that better, yeobo?” She briefly nodded her. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. You may have realized, but I don’t trust a lot of people and only a handful of people know about this warehouse. Even a smaller number of people know and could’ve handled what goes on down here. So the fact that you not only know what happens but were a willing participant who actuality enjoyed themselves says a lot to me. So, I’m going to help you, but it’s gonna be in a way that might seem unconventional.”
Addison’s eyebrows pinched together. “What do you mean, unconventional?”
I rubbed my hands together as I took in a breath. “How about you marry me?”
Her mouth hung open as she stared. “What? How does this solve anything?”
“Hear me out, yeobo. We are both in a predicament where we’re being forced to marry. You need someone to sustain income for your grandmother while I need to marry someone to appease my father and uphold a deal that was made along time ago. You are the perfect person for me to complete that task.”
“How is this different from what I have to do with Mr. L? And what do you mean I am perfect?”
“We both have something to lose. If I don’t marry, the rest of my group and family are dead. If you don’t secure a substantial amount of cash, you’ll findyourself in a deeper hole of debt. From what you were telling me before when it comes to your grandma, you are her only source of income to handle her finances.”
